UX Case Study: LoveMeals “Food Marketplace”
Disclaimer
This project is part of the UI/UX training program implemented by Skilvul (skilvul.com), for Kampus Merdeka program held by Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia. And the Food Waste themes are innovative product challenges from Skilvul.
Overview
based on data from the page of the Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup & Kehutanan Republik Indonesia “As much as 44% of waste piles in Indonesia are food waste and become a country producing Food Waste and The second largest loss in the world.”
Problem That Trying to Solve
Through various research, we found that most of these problems are caused by a lack of education about food management, difficulty in accessing food distribution, and high volumes of food production which cause it not to be sold out and ultimately be wasted.
Our platform connects individuals and merchants to ensure leftover food is put to good use. In addition, LoveMeals provides education about smart food management to reduce food waste in restaurants.
Role in The Team
Our team consists of 2 UI/UX Designers, I am Ikin Sugiharto, and another member named Duta Kalyana. We all share the same responsibility in handling this project as UI/UX designers through all the processes. However, we have a different focus of expertise and responsibilities in making this project easier.
In this project, I helped the team with my responsibilities such as:
1. Lead the team as UI/UX 41 group leader
2. Create a design and project timeline
3. Collaboration and discussion starting from the research planning stage to the design process
4. Make sure the designs we create are uniform based on design system.
5. Help my team create wireframes, design systems, and prototyping.
Tools
The tools we use to help design this project consist of:
- Figma + Figjam: Brainstorming, wireframing, designing, prototyping, and creating some visual design including a slide deck and brand identity.
- Google Form: Create surveys for user research
- Google Docs: Create stimulus user research document
- Google Sheets: Collect record data users (Usability Testing)
- Discord: Collaborate and communicate with the team
Design Process
For this project, we decided to use the design thinking method as a thinking strategy, as design thinking is known to carefully counter human tendencies that limit the process of creativity and invention.
1 — Emphatize
The first stage of design thinking is empathy, at this stage, we do secondary research. The secondary research we conducted aims to find out the background of the problems faced by users in using the LoveMeals application as a food market.
And research by performing competitor analysis, asking for feedback from the design community, and collecting user feedback from the App Store and Play Store. The main objective is to understand to what extent LoveMeals has succeeded in overcoming the problem of food waste by connecting these parties while providing a positive impact on the environment and economy.
2 — Define
Next, we have to determine the stages. At this stage, we summarize data from secondary research such as conducting competitor analysis, asking for feedback from the design community, and collecting user feedback from the App Store and Play Store and solving the problem.
Pain Point
The user pain point is that users often have difficulty finding quality food at affordable prices. They are also less aware of the potential profits from selling leftover food. Unfortunately, only a few food industry players implement waste food processing programs.
When trying to use the application to search for food, consumers find it difficult, especially because the purchasing process is too long and complicated.
Affinity Diagram
To organize concepts that are still unclear from the pain point, we created an affinity diagram and then grouped them based on themes such as grouping in terms of application and service as well as in terms of sales of leftover food.
How Might We
After we group them in the affinity diagram stage. We are encouraged to write down how solutions and ideas can be implemented in terms of applications and features of selling leftover food.
3 — Ideate
After the definition stage in the design thinking process, we are at the ideation stage where we create solutions based on the results of How Might We.
After that, we prioritize what we can do first, which is considered low effort but has a high value/impact called MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
4 — Prototype
After carrying out the research process using the design thinking method, we then enter the prototype stage which starts with user flow to help users interact with this mobile app.
User Flow
- The flow of purchasing leftover food
- The flow of partnership registration
- The flow of order cancellation
Wireframe
Wireframe creation is made simpler for us because there is already a user flow that we made before.
Design Systems
One of the stages that we think requires high effort and more time, but we have already finished, yay! 🥳
The Hi-fi Design
To make this project more colorful and uniform in terms of visual design, the next stage is mockup or what we call high-fidelity design.
Prototype
Here’s the link to the prototype that users can use to interact with this mobile app. Let’s play along with the prototype 🚀
5 — Testing
Usability Testing
To validate our design, conduct usability testing using the “Single Ease Question” method. We did this through in-depth interviews with approximately 6 respondents.
The prototype was used to complete at least three tasks, including
- Purchase leftover food
- Register partnership
- Cancel order
From the interview process with 6 respondents, the results of the testing included 3 scenarios with a total SEQ as below
From the usability testing we carried out, we got an average of 6.8. In terms of the SEQ Average Score, the design created is rated as Very Easy and it can be said that the parameters are successful.
However, next, we have to carry out design iterations so that it can be used better to reach a wider audience
Conclusion
LoveMeals provides an innovative and sustainable solution to the issue of food waste in Indonesia. Through this platform, we can connect culinary businesses such as restaurants, hotel cafes, and mini outlets with consumers to be more efficient and profitable.
Next Features and Developments
In supporting and continuing the development of the LoveMeals application, we will develop several things below, such as:
1. Educational Blog: Create a blog or special section in the app that contains informative articles about food waste, its impact on the environment, and ways to reduce food waste at home, in restaurants, and in the food industry.
2. Donation Feature: In addition to connecting individuals and merchants, add a donation feature that allows users to give their excess food to charities or recipients in need.
3. Monitoring and Analytics: Add analytics features to track food waste patterns and consumer behavior. It can help analyze common causes of food waste and provide insights to users and merchants.
Fin.
Finally, we would like to thank all parties who have contributed to this design process.
My team members are Duta Kalyana
and my mentor Dheavira Hadina Putri.
This project is about problem-solving, critical thinking, and other things that will make me a better UI/UX Design.
